Objective questions

Chapter 10 Group 2 (2013 – 2020)

1. Magnesium forms Mg+ and Mg2+ ions. Which characteristic is the same for both ions?
A. Nuclear charge C. Effective nuclear charge
B. Shielding effect D. Polarising power

2. Be(OH)2 decomposes to BeO when heated to 138 oC. Which statement explains why Be(OH)2
decomposes at such a temperature?
A. Be2+ ion is small.
B. Be2+ ion has high charge density.
C. The O-H bond in Be(OH)2 is polar.
D. BeO is a covalent compound.

3. The decomposition temperature for MgCO3, CaCO3 and SrCO3 is given in the table below.
Compound MgCO3 CaCO3 SrCO3

Decomposition temperature / °C 540 900 1890

The factor that explains the variation observed above is

A. anionic size C. polarisability of anion
B. lattice energy D. polarising power of cation

4. Group 2 elements in the Periodic Table are also known as alkaline earth metals. Which statement is
true about the metals on going down the group?
A. The solubility of sulphate increases.
B. The charge density of cation decreases.
C. The thermal stability of nitrate decreases.
D. The enthalpy of hydration of cation increases.

5. An element of Group 2 in the Periodic Table reacts with cold water, to produce a product which has
the highest decomposition temperature. What is the element?
A. Beryllium B. Magnesium C. Calcium D. Barium

6. Mg(OH)2 is thermally more stable than MgCO3. Which is true about this statement?
A. OH- ion is bigger than CO32- ion
B. OH- ion is less polarisable than CO32- ion.
C. Enthalpy of formation of Mg(OH)2 is more negative than that of MgCO3.
D. The ionic bond of Mg(OH)2 is stronger than that of MgCO3.

7. Mg(OH)2 and Ba(OH)2 decompose by heat to form oxides. Which statement is true about the
decomposition of Mg(OH)2 and Ba(OH)2?
A. The O-H covalent bond in Mg(OH)2 is stronger than that in Ba(OH)2.
B. Mg(OH)2 decomposes at a higher temperature compared to Ba(OH)2.
C. Mg(OH)2 has a lower covalent character compared to Ba(OH)2.
D. MgO is more stable than BaO.
 8. When aqueous solutions of barium nitrate and sodium sulphate are mixed, a white precipitate of
barium sulphate is formed. Which statement explains why barium sulphate is precipitated from the
reaction mixture?
A. Its ions are large.
B. It is an ionic compound with covalent character.
C. Its enthalpy of hydration is lower than its lattice energy.
D. It has a high solubility product.

9. Which graph represents the solubility variation of Group 2 sulphates (beryllium to barium) in the
Periodic Table?

10. BeSO4 and SrSO4 have different solubility in water. Which statement explains the difference?
A. Sulphate anion is large
B. BeSO4 has covalent character.
C. Lattice energy of SrSO4 is more negative than that of BeSO4
D. Hydration energy of BeSO4 is more negative than that of SrSO4

11. Which element has a value of electronegativity closer to aluminium?

A. Beryllium B. Magnesium C. Strontium D. Barium

12. Beryllium compounds behave anomalously in the following aspects:

 BeCl2 is acidic in water.
 BeO forms [Be(OH)4]2- ion in excess alkali.
The reason for this behavior is because beryllium
A. is a small ion C. has a high charge density
B. is a Lewis base D. has a low electronegativity value
13. Which statement is not true about both beryllium and aluminium compounds?
A. Both salt solutions are acidic C. Both oxides are amphoteric
B. Both chlorides form dimers D. Both complexes are octahedral

14. Which is not a property of beryllium chloride?

A. Forms Be2+ and Cl- ions in molten state.
B. Forms aqueous solution with pH < 7.
C. Exists as dimers in solid state.
D. Sublimes when heated.

15. Which is not the use of magnesium compound?

A. MgCO3 is used as an antacid to treat heartburn.
B. Mg(OH)2 is a constituent of toothpaste.
C. MgSO4 is used to obtain X-ray photograph of the digestive system.
D. Mg(NO3)2 is used as a fertiliser.

16. Which property accounts for the trend in the reactivity of Group 2 elements down the group?
A Metallic character B Ionisation energy
C Thermal conductivity D Melting point

17. The value of ∆H for the decomposition of MCO3 is given in the table below.
Carbonate MgCO3 CaCO3 SrCO3 BaCO3

∆H / kJmol-1 +101 +178 +235 +269

Which factors does not influence the trend down the group?
A. The charge density of M2+
B. The melting point of MCO3
C. The polarizing power of M2+
D. The strength of ionic bond of MO

18. Which statement is not true about the properties of compounds of Group 2 of the Periodic Table going
down the group?
A. The solubility of the sulphates increases.
B. The lattice energy of the oxides decreases.
C. The hydration energy of the cations decreases.
D. The thermal stability of the carbonates increases.
Structure question:
STPM 2016(U) Question 17
1. A laboratory analysis is carried out on two salts of Group 2, X and Y. When X is heated at 330 oC,
brown fumes which turned moist blue litmus paper to red and a gas which rekindled a glowing splinter
are evolved. The heating residue is a white solid. The same observations are obtained for Y at 600 oC.
The heating residue from X is insoluble in water while the heating residue of Y dissolves in water.
(a) Identify X and Y. [2 marks]
X: Magnesium nitrate
Y: Calcium nitrate
(b) Determine the two gases evolved. [2 marks]
Oxygen gas and nitrogen gas
(c) Write the equation for the decomposition of X. [1 mark]
2Mg(NO3)2 (s) → 2MgO (s) + 4NO2 (g) + 02 (g)
(d) Give three reasons why X and Y decomposed at different temperatures.
[3 marks]
This is because the size of calcium ion is bigger than magnesium ion. The charge density of
calcium ion is smaller than magnesium ion. The polarising power of calcium ion is smaller than
magnesium ion. Thus, more is required to decompose Y compared to X.

STPM 2017 Question 17

2. (a) Four types of white barium salts are Ba(OH)2, BaCO3, BaO and Ba(NO3)2.
(i) Which barium salt does not decompose upon heating? Why? [2 marks]
BaO. This is because oxide ion has a smaller size compared to hydroxide ion,
carbonate ion and nitrate ion.
(ii) Apart from the barium salt in (a)(i), arrange the other three barium salts in ascending order
of thermal stability. [1 mark]
Ba(NO3)2 < BaCO3 < Ba(OH)2
(b) Beryllium and aluminium exhibit a diagonal relationship in some chemical properties.
(i) What is the similarity between aqueous solutions of beryllium salts and aluminium salts in
terms of acid-base property? Explain your answer.
[2 marks]
Both aqueous solutions are acidic and undergo hydrolysis to produce H3O+
(ii) Write the chemical equations involved in (b)(i). [2 marks]
[Be(H2O)4]2+ (aq) + H2O (l) → [Be(H20)3(OH)]+ (aq) + H3O+ (aq)
[Al(H2O)6]2+ (aq) + H2O (l) → [Be(H20)5(OH)]2+ (aq) + H3O+ (aq)

STPM 2013 Question 17

3. (a) Anhydrous beryllium chloride has polymeric structure in the solid state. In the vapour state, it
forms dimer at 405 oC and monomer at 900 oC.
Draw the structures for the monomer and dimer of beryllium chloride.
[2 marks]

(b) All the chlorides of Group 2 elements of the Periodic Table are ionic compounds except beryllium
chloride. Explain why beryllium chloride is an exception.
[3 marks]
This is because beryllium atom has a very high ionisation energy due to the small atomic size and
 low screening effect.
(c) Beryllium shows a diagonal relationship to aluminium in Group 13 of the Periodic Table. Write
chemical formulae of the beryllium compound and aluminium compound which resemble each
other, and state their property.
[3 marks]
Beryllium compound: BeO,
Aluminium compound: AlO3
Amphoteric

Essay questions
STPM 2014 Question 19
2. (a) Elements in Period 3 (sodium to sulphur) of the Periodic Table form oxides which differ greatly
in their physical and chemical properties.
(i) Write the formulae of each of the oxides. [ 3 marks]
Na2O
MgO
Al2O3
P4O6, P4O10
SO2, SO3
(ii) State the acid-base nature of the oxides of sodium, aluminium and silicon, and describe
their reactions with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. Write
the equations for all the reactions involved. [8 marks]
Na2O is basic oxide, Al2O3 is amphoteric oxide and SiO2 is acidic oxide.
When sodium oxide is added to aqueous solution hydroxide, it reacts with the water from
sodium hydroxide.
Na2O (s) + H2O (l) → 2NaOH (aq)
Sodium oxide reacts with hydrochloric acid at room temperature.
Na2O (s) + 2HCl (aq) → 2NaCl (aq) + H2O (l)
Aluminium oxide dissolves slowly in hot, concentrate NaOH to form sodium aluminate.
Al2O3 (s) + 2NaOH (aq) +3H2O (l) → 2NaAl(OH)4 (aq)
Aluminium oxide react slowly with hydrochloric acid to form aluminium chloride.
Al2O3 (s) + 6HCl (aq) → 2AlCl3 (aq) + 3H2O (l)
Silicon (IV) oxide react slowly with NaOH to form sodium silicate.
SiO2 (s) + 2NaOH (aq) → Na2SiO3 (aq) + H2O (l)
Silicon (IV) oxide does not react with acid.

(iii) Radium, a radioactive element, is located below calcium in Group 2 of the Periodic Table.
Compare the thermal stability of radium hydroxide with that of calcium hydroxide.
Explain your answer. [4 marks]
Radium hydroxide is thermally more stable than calcium hydroxide. This is because the
size of radium (II) ion is bigger than calcium (II) ion. The charge density of radium (II)
ion is lower than calcium (II) ion.

STPM 2014 Question 20

3. The Group 14 elements of the Periodic Table show a marked change in their physical and chemical
properties on descending the group.
(a) Describe and explain the variation in the stability of the oxides of Group 14 elements.
 [8 marks]

(b) Calcium carbonate gives off gas on heating that contributes to the greenhouse effect, whereas
barium carbonate does not. Explain this statement.
[ 7 marks]

STPM 2014(U) Question 20

5. (a) The standard reduction potential of aluminium is -1.66 V. Aluminium is easily oxidised to
aluminium oxide. Write the equations of reactions between aluminium oxide with dilute HCl
and aqueous solution of NaOH respectively. Describe these reactions. [6
marks]
(b) Beryllium is a Group 2 element in the Periodic Table. It has many similarities with
aluminium. Describe the diagonal relationships between beryllium and aluminium in terms of
acidic properties of their salts and chemical bonding of their chlorides.
[7 marks]
(c) State the usage of a Group 2 compound. [2 marks]
Calcium sulphate is used as a fertiliser and soil conditioner.

STPM 2015(U) Question 20

4. (a) Explain the gradual change in thermal stability of nitrates of Mg to Ba of Group 2 elements in
the Periodic Table.
[5 marks]
Descending group 2, the size of ion increases. The decrease in charge density results in a
decrease in the polarising power of cation. Moreover, the larger the cation, the smaller the
lattice energy of the oxide formed on decomposition. As a result, more heat is required to
decompose the nitrate ion to the oxides. Therefore, the decomposition temperature increases
going down the group. Hence, the thermal stability of nitrates increases down group 2.
(b) MgSO4 dissolves in water easily but BaSO 4 does not dissolve in water. Explain this
observation based on enthalpy change.
[5 marks]

(c) Beryllium has a diagonal relationship with aluminium. Describe this statement with reference to
their oxides. [5 marks]

STPM 2016 Question 20

1. Explain the following statements
(a) All elements of Group 2 are electrical conductors. [3 marks]
All the elements in group 2 are metals with metallic bond. The delocalised electrons contributed
by the valence electrons result in electrical conductivity.
(b) The decomposition temperature of calcium carbonate and barium carbonate are 897 oC and 1357
o
C respectively. [4 marks]
The size of calcium ion is smaller than barium ion. Thus, the charge density and polarising
power of calcium ion is higher than barium ion. As a result, more heat is required to decompose
the carbonate ion to oxides. Therefore, the decomposition temperature of calcium carbonate is
smaller than barium carbonate.
(c) Aluminium chloride readily dissolves in water to form an acidic solution, whereas aluminium
oxide is insoluble in water. [8 marks]
Since the ionic bond of aluminium oxide is very strong, therefore more lattice energy is absorbed
to break the strong ionic bond and less hydration energy is released when the ions get hydrated.
Thus, aluminium is insoluble in water.
Aluminium chloride is a covalent molecule. The covalent bond is weak, therefore less energy is
absorbed to break the covalent bond but more energy is released due to the high charge density
of aluminium ion. Thus, aluminium chloride is soluble in water.